So the mystery figure from the Crescent Moon Village background has a story?

Apparently the old man in the paintings of Crescent Moon Village actually has a backstory! As quoted from the topic above:

This man is referred to as mister "Isamu", who may be named by the real navy admiral "Isamu Takeshida". It's written in the book that mister Isamu is remembered in [Crescent Moon] village for commanding a navy force against the evil pirates. These pirates and their shipmates tried to expand their empire and to steal all the coins and glittering jewels from the once peaceful village.

The war-torn village almost fell under this threat, however they were defeated by admiral Isamu. A hundred years later, all that remains of these invaders are ghosts and zombies of their past selves, which remain to guard the village's remaining treasures.

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Apparently the Colonel Sanders style figure is a reference to a real world admiral from the Russo-Japanese war called Isamu Takeshida, who actually looks a lot like the picture:

Apparently he defended the village from attacking pirates in game, which then (long after the village was abandoned) caused their restless souls to hang around the place, desperately 'defending' the treasure they stole hundreds of years ago. It's an interesting story, and one the game barely hints at all.

So yeah, what do you think? Are you happy Nintendo included this tiny bit of backstory in one of the Japanese strategy guides for the game?

Interesting backstory, but honestly the man in the painting doesn't look like the real-life admiral, nor col. Sanders. The hairstyle and moustache don't mach with the photograph.
But I still like that there is actually a backstory to what happened to Crescent Moon Village. It has always been one of the strangest levels of the game, and this story makes the village even more haunting.